Update: Solar panels returning to White House roof

The solar panels are coming back! A month after environmentalist Bill McKibben brought one of the original Carter-era solar panels to Washington, the White House said it is putting new panels on the White House residence.

Just four weeks ago, a discouraged McKibben left his meeting with administration officials without handing over the panel or getting any commitment to green the White House. On Tuesday, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Council of Environmental Quality head Nancy Sutley made the announcement at a meeting of government leaders. The panels and a solar hot water heater will be installed on the roof of the first family's residence by next spring -- after the Energy Department goes through the standard procurement process to pick a solar company for the job.

The plan, said the White House, has been in the works for the past year and doesn't have anything to do with outside organizations lobbying the president. That didn't stop McKibben from weighing in: "If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world," he said in a statement.

Solar water heating can provide up to 3/4 of their hot water for free, saving a family up to $1000 a year, and reducing their carbon dioxide output by as much as not burning 5 or 6 barrels of oil. The payback for installing solar hot water is very impressive. And yet people are insulting the idea. Let's see, they are setting a good example, saving money, using less foreign oil, and reducing carbon dioxide, yup, sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

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